There’s no doubt about it. For some of your customers, budgets are tight. And while the economy is trying to recover, the outlook continues to be uncertain. On the upside, this presents an opportunity for partners to help customers stretch their dollars.

Just ask Cisco Silver Partner TERACAI Corporation. In a recent interview, the firm’s Senior Market Development Manager, Brett LaCourse, shared one of his company’s success secrets. It’s a “secret” you can begin to apply in your own practice today.

Read more to learn about the benefits of this approach—for you and yourcustomers.

Formed in 2009, TERACAI is headquartered in Syracuse, New York. The firm, which has more than 50 employees, offers solutions and services primarily to customers on the eastern coast of the US, and specializes in unified communications, collaboration, data center/virtualization, borderless, and routing and switching infrastructure.

With customers in the commercial, healthcare, and education segments, the firm sells Cisco products and services, along with complementary solutions such as VMware’s server, desktop, and business continuity solutions. “We didn’t want to be known as a jack-of-all-trades,” explained LaCourse. “In the end, we believed that type of model would water us down, hurting ourselves and our customers.”

Instead, TERACAI focuses on one customer at a time, asking extensive questions about current technology investments and future plans to help determine how to best help them achieve their goals, leveraging Cisco products and solutions. And it’s been through this process that TERACAI has discovered the unique value proposition of adding Cisco Certified Refurbished Equipment into the mix.

“Regardless of a customer’s price point, we can always lead with Cisco,” said LaCourse. “The refurbished offerings are our sweet spot when it comes to bridging customers’ budgetary gaps—without compromising quality or support. It’s an excellent tool for winning deals, while helping our customers to better leverage their available dollars.”

LaCourse also shared that it’s extremely satisfying to help customers achieve more by simply selecting a price-sensitive, certified option.

For instance, TERACAI recently had a customer ready to refresh some switches. Initially, TERACAI’s sales team led with new Cisco products. However, when they came up against budget limitations, they easily changed tactics to help the customer get the switches they needed with 25 percent left in their fixed budget for critical infrastructure.

“SMARTnet Services are available for software updates and the standard warranty is the same as for new, so there’s no risk,” explained LaCourse. “And with so many customers feeling the pressure to stay ahead of their competition, refurbished equipment is a smart alternative to what otherwise could be a very difficult objection to overcome.”

Over the years, TERACAI has helped apply customers’ savings to global knowledge training, wireless infrastructure upgrades, and more. “Our customers are happy to obtain the equipment they need and have money left to pursue other important projects.”

Not every customer is interested in purchasing refurbished equipment and that’s to be expected, added LaCourse. What’s important is offering the choice, so that customers can make an educated purchase decision. It’s a way of doing business that has helped TERACAI close more deals.

“Even more important, we’ve earned a position of trust with our customers,” said LaCourse. “They see that we’re truly looking out for them and that builds loyalty—today and in the future.”

Thank you, TERACAI and Brett. We love hearing from our partners. Post your experience with Cisco Certified Refurbished Equipment below and let us know if you have any success stories to share on our blog.

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